Dear Parents

Welcome all parents and learners "back to School". School is a building that has four walls - with tomorrow inside (Lon Walters). We trust that together we will enjoy many happy and enriching days this year working in this "building" with the academics, professionals, technicians and skilled people of tomorrow.

Staff 2008   Principal Mrs L De Beer     Reception Grade Mrs A Pollard (Grade Head)       Mrs A Cawood       Mrs J Malherbe         Ms P Mgodeli (Assistant)       Grade One * Mrs G Williams (Grade Head /Education)         Mrs G Szoke         Mrs P Grapentin       Grade Two Miss M Main (Grade Head)         *Miss E Grobler         Mrs L Smith       Grade Three Miss J Ashton (Grade Head)         Miss Z Khan         Miss C Klotz       Grade Four Mrs L Honey (Grade Head)         *Miss C Lockey         Mrs G Williams (Education Specialist)       Grade Five Mrs M Mozley (Grade Head /Education Specialist)         Mrs C Viljoen         Miss D Nieuwenhuizen (I.P Phase Head)       Grade Six Mrs S Voges (Grade Head / Education Specialist)         Mr A Hardy         Mr G Fabing       Grade Seven Mrs Wrench (Grade Head / S.P Phase Head)         * Miss S Garlandd         Mr A Apolles       Art/Technology Mr P Baerecke, * Miss K Franklin       Media Mrs C Meyer (Deputy Principal)       Computer Mrs L Petersen       Music/Choir Mrs S Marais, Mrs M Hamman, *Miss N Lennox       Remedial Mrs L Frank       Administration *Mrs L Bower, Mrs J Salie, Mrs B Shaban       Finance Mrs D Leary, Mrs H Pretorius       Teacher Assistant *Mrs June Fuller       Social Worker Mrs van der Linde       Tuckshop Mrs A Kellerman       Sport Co-ordinator *Mr Allan Herbert (New)       Maintenance Mr K Heidmann (Maintenance Manager)Messrs G Pockpas, V Luck, J Miller and L van Groeningen       Cleaning Staff Miss H Rudolph, Mrs V Holland, Miss E Ockhuis       After School Care Mrs A Devine, Mrs M Fortune, Miss R Volschenk, Miss B Ntshakaza       General Assistant Ms G Plato       Security M T Bikolimama

* New Members of Staff

We welcome our new staff members to the Bergvliet Primary School team and trust that their stay with us will be fruitful and happy.

We are delighted to inform you that the Governing Body has approved two new position at Bergvliet Primary School. Mrs June Fuller, has been appointed as a teacher assistant. Mrs Fuller will spend time in each classroom during the week and assist learners in need of support or extension. Mr Alan Herbert has been appointed as Sport Co-ordinator. He will co-orsinate and manage the sport timetable, match fixtures and take some of L.O. classes.

We are very disappointed to start the new year without an isiXhosa teacher. An appointment was made in November last year but the educator telephoned on 12 December 2007 to inform us that he had received a lucrative offer in commerce and would not be able to Bergvliet Primary School. An advertisement has been placed in the press and interviews will take place during this term.

Miss RIka Volskenck (After School Care) resigned during the December holidays to head up a private crèche. We wish her well in her new position.

PARENT-EDUCATOR MEETING – WEDNESDAY, 06 FEBRUARY

ALL parents and their children’s after-school caregivers are expected to attend this first meeting of the year. Please be punctual. Failure to arrive timeously will result in parents missing important information from the educators. ( Please be aware that this first meeting of the year is a fairly lengthy meeting).

The educators will address parents on classroom matters and matters of general educational interest. Please note that it is too early in the year for them to be able to give individual feedback to each parent. Should you wish to discuss your child’s progress, please make another appointment with the class educator later in the term.

Please note the time of the meetings

18:45 – 19:15 - Parents of Grades R, One, Two and Three will meet with the educators in their classrooms.

19:30 – General Meeting for ALL parents (Reception Grade to Grade Seven) in the Hall.We invite Reception Grade and Grade One parents to a welcoming Cocktail Party in the LIBRARY after this meeting in the Hall.

After the General Meeting in the Hall, parents of learners in Grades Four, Five and Six will meet the educators in the classrooms. Parents of Grade Seven learners will meet in the Auditorium. Tea will then be served in the Hall.

Please ensure that your child’s final academic report for 2007 has been signed and returned to the class educator. This import document must be filed in your child’s confidential portfolio.

DRAMA

We are pleased to advise that from January 2008 all learners from Grade One to Seven will participate in drama lessons once a week for the full academic year. The Helen O’Grady Drama Academy, which has been operating for many years internationally, will continue to run our drama programme. We are excited about this new venture as we feel the children will benefit tremendously from it.

PEER MEDIATION

Conflict Management is an important life-skill and this year we aim to focus on teaching to manage their own minor conflict in the playground. During 2007 Grade Six Volunteers underwent training as Peer Mediators. These volunteer mediators will be dealt with by staff. We thank Mrs Wrensch for giving of her time to train our Mediators and we wish them well in their duties.

SUPPORT TEACHER

Private Academic Support lessons are offered during school hours at Bergvliet Primary School. Mrs Cathy Louw will liaise with class teachers to provide the best support for your child.Phone: Mrs Cathy Louw 083 4555727 for further information and fees.

PLEASE NOTE ……

School closes at 13:00 for all learners in the first week of the new term – Wednesday, 17 January 2008, to Friday, 19 January 2008.

Please ensure that arrangements have been made for learners to be fetched from School within 10 – 15 minutes of the final bell at 13:00 on these days. The Educators will be involved in educational meetings and workshops and will not be available to supervise learners after hours. Normal school hours will commence on Monday, 21 January 2008 (except for Reception Grade learners who will commence normal school hours from Wednesday, 30 January 2008). Extra mural sport, games and clubs will also begin on Monday, 21 January 2008.

NORMAL SCHOOL TIMES

Children must be collected from inside the School grounds within 10 – 15 minutes of School closing or an extra-mural activity finishing. Educators are involved in meetings, courses, lesson preparation, sport, clubs, etc. after hours and are not able to supervise children who are left unattended after hours. Please ensure that adequate arrangements have been made to keep your child safe before and after School hours.

Dates to Diarise

SCHOOL TERMS FOR 2008

FEES

The Payment of School Fees is compulsory by Law

New parents wishing to pay dchool fees via debit order should please contact the Bursar’s office for a form. All existing debit orders will roll over for 2008. the first payment deduction would take place on 01 February 2008.

The annual school fee for 2008 (Grades One to Seven) has been set at R7 350.00 per annum and is payable on the first day of the new school year. However, the following payment options are available:

Payment Options

Grade One to Seven

Reception Grade

The Reception Grade fee of R8150.00 p.a is compulsory and is also due on the first day of the 2008 School Year.

Payment options:

Bank Details are :

Partial exemption from paying the full school fee may be granted under exceptional circumstances. An income threshold has been established above which all parents MUST pay the FULL fee.The Governing Body has employed the services of Charter Debt Management Services and the attorneys of Michalowsky, Geldenhuys & Humphries to follow up on unpaid fees.

All applicants for exemption are required to complete a detailed questionnaire which must be countersigned by a Commissioner of Oaths. Applicants will be interviewed by the Governing Body during the course of the year to review their application.

Any parent wishing to apply for an exemption form must do so in writing. Forms are available from the Bursar’s office between 07:30 and 15:30, Monday to Friday, on presentation of a written letter of application. The forms should be returned to the Principal by WEDNESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2008.

Parents are encouraged to pay by debit order. If you require a form please contact the Bursar's office. All forms must be completed and returned by Monday, 21 January 2008.

The school currently incurs substantial costs related to cash deposits being received as payment of fees. These costs must be carried by the parent/guardian.

UNIFORM

Please ensure that your child is correctly and neatly dressed for school each day. Every item of clothing must be clearly marked with your child’s name – as should all items of stationery or other equipment brought to school.

CLOTHING SHOP

The clothing shop at School is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 08:00 – 08:30 and on Fridays from 12:00 – 13:30. The following items of new uniform are available from our Clothing Shop:

Good,clean second-hand items of uniform are also available

EXTRA MURALS

The extra mural programme begins on Monday, 21 January 2008. Once learners commit themselves to a sport or activity, they are expected to see it through to the end of the season. Please encourage your child to be an active member of our School community.Every learner from Grade Three to Seven is expected to participate in at least one afternoon activity. We encourage Grades R, One and Two learners to participate in ball skills. For details please refer to the extra mural timetable.

The weather at this time can be dangerously hot. We advise that your child applies a high factor sunscreen each day and wears his/her regulation BPS sports cap at break time, during outdoor Physical Education lessons and during extra mural sport. The sports cap is available from the clothing shop at R45. Learners are encouraged to have a water bottle (no fizzy drinks or juice) on their classroom table to ensure that they do not become dehydrated during the day.

CAMP GRADES

Please note that all camp fees must be settled before your child attends the annual school camp.

PUNCTUALITY

The school building is open to learners from 07:45. Please ensure that your child is at school in time to unpack and prepare himself/herself to begin the school day promptly at 07:55. Arrangements should be made for your child to be fetched within 15 minutes of school closing each day or after an extra mural activity. Children must wait inside the school grounds and not on the pavements or in the road. (Please do not hoot to attract your child’s attention. This anti-social behaviour disturbs our elderly neighbours).

While every effort is made to ensure the safety of every child during school hours, the staff has other school related duties to perform and attend to after the final bell and cannot be held responsible for children left on the school premises after closing time. By law attendance at school is compulsory. Please ensure that your child attends school regularly. Permission for children to leave school early should be requested in only extreme cases of emergency. Please avoid arriving at school unexpectedly or earlier than the official school closing time to collect your child. This disrupts the prepared and planned daily activities. We require a timeous written request for your child to leave the school grounds during official school hours.

TRAFFIC

We have had numerous complaints from our neighbours about parents who hoot to greet or call their children in the early morning and again in the afternoon and that parents are parking their cars across our neighbours’ driveways. Please be considerate of our neighbours at all times and set the right example of courtesy and consideration for our children to follow.

Parents who use the pavement parking are reminded to be mindful of learners walking behind their cars when reversing into Children’s Way. Parents who drop off or collect children at the Alphen Way entrance should not park on the pedestrian crossing or the yellow lines. Cars parked in these areas obscure clear vision of the road for the children crossing Alphen Way.

DISCIPLINE

As usual, at the beginning of a year, we ask that parents familiarise themselves with the Code of Conduct for parents and learners and the discipline and punishment procedures of the school. Attached you will find a copy of the Code of Conduct for parents and learners (please discuss this with your child), examples of the admonition slip (all Grades), the two detention slips (Grades 4 to 7) and the special achievement certificates (all Grades) that may be awarded during the year.

We aim to ensure firm but fair discipline with dignity. We believe that positive discipline and encouragement can often reap better rewards and motivation than punishment. Children have rights but also responsibilities. If they do not act responsibly and do not respect the rights of others, the consequence will be disciplinary action. Please discuss this with your children.

The discipline system is as follows:

• Admonition slips (pink) to inform parents of areas of concern may be issued to learners from Grade One to Seven.
• Level one detention (white) will be held on Friday from 14:15 until 15:30 for learners in Grades Four to Seven.
• Level two detention (red) will be held on Saturday morning from 09:00 until 10:30 for learners in Grades Four to Seven.

SANDWICHES

Please remember that Thursday is “Sandwich Day” at Bergvliet Primary School. Please encourage your children to prepare and pack an extra sandwich for the hungry children at Zeekoevlei Primary School.

LIBRARY BOOKS

In these financially strained times, we must look after these precious resources and your help would be greatly appreciated. Please ensure that the books are kept in a safe place at home and returned to the library on the due date.

TUCKSHOP AND CLOTHING SHOP

The Tuckshop and Clothing Shop provide a service to our School community. If you are able to assist, please contact the school.

MOTHERS-WHO-CARE

Mothers-Who-Care will be meeting in the After School Care Centre on a Monday morning at 08:00. If you would like to join them, please contact Lauren Moser on 021 7124803.

FUNDRAISING

The B.P.A. (Bergvliet Parents Association) organises one big fundraiser (and one which requires less time and effort) each term. These events afford all of our Bergvliet Primary School parents an opportunity to become involved in their children’s education, support the school and socialise. Everyone’s contribution towards these fundraisers will be different. Some parents give generously of their time and others assist with donations of prizes, cash or gifts. Please look out for the blue B.P.A. notices informing you of the FUN RUN and CAMP OUT to be held this term.

CELL PHONES

Please be advised that we can accept no responsibility for cell phones brought to School. We have two public telephones (one coin, one card) on the premises and one of our secretaries will telephone parents in the event of an emergency. We therefore feel that it is unnecessary for learners to bring cell phones to School.

Your child is in our care between 07:45 and 14:20 and we will not permit the learners to use their cell phones during this time. Cell phones must be switched off during the school day. Children who are found to be using a cell phone during the school day will have the cell phone confiscated and parents will be requested to collect the phone from the office after the learner has donated, from his/her pocket money, two large cans of pet food which will be donated to TEARS.

Please note that children who need to phone after hours should be in possession of a phone care which may be purchased from the office at break times, before and after school.Children who return home late from cricket matches will be given access to the public telephones on the hall verandah or in emergencies may use the telephone at the After School Care Centre.

REMINDERS FROM THE OFFICE

• Office hours are from 07:30 – 15:00 daily.
• Please inform the office of any change of personal details, in particular change of address and telephone number in order to keep our records up to date.
• Learners are not permitted to make use of the office telephone unless in extreme emergencies. They are encouraged to make use of the public telephones on the hall veranda. Telephone cards are available from the office to be purchased at break times and before and after school.
• Please ensure that any money brought to school is placed in a sealed envelope with your child’s name, class and what the money is for, stated clearly on the envelope.
• Children are not permitted to wait for parents in the office area or foyer of the School. If it is raining, please collect them from the tuck shop verandah
• If your child has left something at home which he/she may need at school, please leave it at the office, clearly marked with your child’s name. Your child will be called at break time to collect the item/s. Parents may not visit classrooms.
• Parents are requested to keep circulars containing pertinent information in a safe place (e.g. on the fridge door) and refer to them periodically. The number of unnecessary telephone calls to the office is escalating and many of the calls are questions, the answers to which can be found in newsletters and notices. Please read your newsletters and notices before phoning the office.
•  Lost property. It is in your own best interest to make sure that all items of clothing, shoes, sporting equipment, books, bags, etc. are clearly marked. Unmarked items which are unclaimed are either sold or given to charity.
• Absentee notes should be sent to the class educator. A doctor’s certificate is required if a child has been absent from school for two days or more.

MY SCHOOL CARD AND MY SCHOOL AIRTIME

Please remember to show your “MY SCHOOL” card when shopping. We, as a School, can raise a substantial amount of money by producing our “MY SCHOOL” cards at specified outlets. MySchool Airtime enables MySchool supporters to buy airtime for multiple phones with one payment. Airtime can be purchased on the MySchool website at http://www.myschool.co.za For more information contact 0860 100 445.

We now also encourage parents to link their MAKRO card to the School group number by filling in your card number on the application form available at the office. Have your family and friends link their cards too! The more you use your Makro card, the more you generate for our School.

HIGH SCHOOL - 2009

We trust that our Grade Seven parents will take the opportunities presented to them through the many invitations from numerous high schools which will be sent home, to inform themselves of the facilities, bursaries and education offered.Please note the dates of the Open Days at the various schools. We encourage you to start planning for your child’s high school career now.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR LEARNERS

All learners are responsible for upholding the following code:

• To respect the property of others, neither taking it nor using it without the consent of the owner.
• To use language which is appropriate to the occasion and refrain from vulgar, coarse and foul language.
• To behave in a responsible and tolerant manner and refrain from fighting, bullying and dangerous or violent actions directed towards others     
• To work quietly in class neither distracting other learners from the task at hand nor generally disrupting the class in any way.
• To show respect towards the different cultures and religions of others                              
• To respect the dignity and rights of others by avoiding verbal abuse, whether name-calling, unkind remarks or unfavourable comparisons.
• To Ensuring that the school’s buildings, fittings and equipment are properly used and not damaged nor removed without permission.
• To immediately report any unusual activities by strangers in or near the school property.
• To address the educators and school staff by their names prefixed with Mr, Ms or Mrs as appropriate.
• To comply with the school rules.
• To participate in sport where playing the game is more important than winning the game.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS

	1		To Ensure that your child/children:
		1.1	Arrive punctually at school, both in the mornings and for other organized activities
		1.2	Are dressed correctly in the appropriate school uniform
		1.3	Leave the school within 15 min of the completion of the school day or extra mural activity unless arrangements have been made with the school's Aftercare Centre
	2		To support the school ethos in the home environment
	3		To accept joint responsibility with the school's educator staff for overcoming any learning and/or behavioural problems detected in your child/children
	4		To participate in the school fund raising activities
	5		To set an appropriate example in dress, language and conduct when attending school functions and while supporting the school's sporting activities

BERG-ADS

		1	JUDO classes coached by internationally recognised black belt, Sensei Denton Smith.  Classes are held on Fridays between 17:30 and 19:00 in the Bergvliet Primary School Hall.  All welcome.  Ph: 072 8697238
		2	Modern Dancing, Tap, Hip Hop Held in Bergvliet Primary School Hall for ages 5 upwards. Dancing improves concentration, posture, co-ordination and self-confidence.  One free trial lesson. For more information: Colleen 021 7153442 or Lyndsay 021  7154331.
		3	TEARS – invites you to visit our website at www.tears.org.za to view their beautiful furry friends for adoption.
		4	MOM WHO CARE: The Moms Who Care Prayer Group meets once a week from 08h00 till approximately 09h00 in the After School Care building facing the North Field to pray for our school. If you like to know more or are interested in joining them, please contact Lauren Moser on (021) 712-4803.
		5	JOLLY JAMMERS AFTERCARE: Open from 1pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Kidss are collected at school, also open for school holidays. For more information call Michelle at 021 715 0850 or 073 284 3099.
		6	WIM WITH TANDY – in Bergvliet. * Baby classes (6mnths to 3yrs). *R30 a lesson, *heated, enclosed pool. Contact Tandy at 021 712 7380.
		7	Butlers Pizza – Proud sponsor and Official Pizza of Bergvliet Primary. Contact: Ronderbosch                        Wynberg                     N1 City Area               Bellville 021 – 686 9007           021 – 797 9980           021 – 559 3939           021 – 948 8888 Table View                 Gardens                     Newlands
		8	Lifts Club for 2008: To and from Bergvliet Primary School and Bergvliet High School. Area Grassy Park, Retreat Retreat and Heathfield. Contact Pamela Laguma on 021 – 715 4764     082 350 9943. Lift Club for 2008: Area – Retreat, Steenberg, Conistan Park contact Mrs Williams @ 021 712-9345 / 072 143 3215.
		9	Lift Club needed: Afternoon only to Lakeside contact Julia @ 084 587 0134 / 021 673 1800 (W)

L S L De Beer Principal